Thelonius Monk's advice to saxophonist Steve Lacy (1960)

on January 28, 2009 9:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I could read this all day. The main reason is that it supports a favorite theory: music and creativity are planned and thought through. There are rules -- even if one of them is "You've got to dig it to dig it, you dig?" Music and creativity aren't all about feel an natural talent.

My favorite line is one that writers know about too: "Don't play everything (or everytime); Let some things go by. Some music just imagined. What you don't play can be more important than what you do."

mrgan:
Thelonius Monk's advice to saxophonist Steve Lacy (1960)
Every one of Monk’s notes in here may as well be gospel, but one that stood out for me:
“A genius is the one most like himself.”